Security

Our Policy

J Street unequivocally condemns all acts of terror and violence perpetrated by any state or any non-state actor against the State of Israel or its people.

A cornerstone of any peaceful resolution of the conflict and the two-state solution has to be the fulfillment of Palestinian security obligations and the cessation of terror. J Street condemns the indiscriminate firing of rockets from Gaza by Hamas and other entities at Israeli civilians – and recognizes the fundamental right of Israel to take action to prevent and address acts of terror and violence.

J Street will support efforts to hold the Palestinians to their commitments to prevent terror and violence that target Israel and its citizens. We believe that President Obama and Members of Congress are correct to—as J Street itself does– call on the Palestinians to fully comply with their obligations to crack down on violence and incitement.

Robust and verifiable security arrangements are essential to any future peace agreements – this includes not only a future Israeli-Palestinian treaty, but also future treaties with Syria and Lebanon. In this context, and if requested to do so by the parties, the US should positively examine the option of being part of an international deployment to oversee and support the implementation of security understandings, a role the US successfully played as part of the Israeli-Egyptian peace treaty.

Tough Questions

“Can the two-state solution guarantee security for the Israeli people?”

A two-state solution is the only way to guarantee Israel’s security in the long term. Nobody can or should guarantee an end to all violence once a peace deal is reached. But it is clear that without a two-state solution, violence will continue. Israeli occupation of the Palestinian territory has not made it secure; in fact the opposite is the case. A negotiated two-state solution will ensure that Israel has secure, defensible, universally recognized borders. It will include strong and enforceable security arrangements as well as an international effort that holds the parties responsible for maintaining their commitments. The solution should also recognize the right of the Jewish people to statehood and recognize the right of the Palestinian people to statehood, without prejudice to the equal rights of the parties’ respective citizens.